


KCAWS 30 Days of Winter

by verdeveritas



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Original Work
Genre: F/M, KCAWS 30 Days of WInter 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28468410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verdeveritas/pseuds/verdeveritas
Summary: This is for the KCAWS 30 Days of Winter Writing challenge. It will likely be a series of one shots. I'm doing this for fun and to challenge myself to write literally every day. :)
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 2
Collections: 30 Days of Winter Writing





	1. Petrichor

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the KCAWS 30 Days of Winter Writing challenge. It will likely be a series of one shots. I'm doing this for fun and to challenge myself to write literally every day. :)

"It smells like rain," the woman said. Her hair was short, shaved on the sides. At some point, it had been dyed turquoise because everyone told her she reminded them of the sea witch in The Little Mermaid. It was fading now and needed to be touched up. 

"I'm not sure how you can _possibly_ know what a storm not yet here smells like," her compatriot answered. He was tall, six-foot-something with short dusty blond hair. He looked as if he had seen better days; his face was scarred and weary. His beard, however, was ginger and immaculate. He took great pride in it and was vehemently opposed to cutting it. 

The woman shrugged delicately before saying, "I grew up needing to anticipate weather which could, and often would, change at the drop of a hat. You get a sense for it."

" I guess we'll see if you're right soon enough." He smiled at her and though it was small, she took it for a victory. He didn't smile often, and he had a lovely smile. 

"I think one thing you'll learn about me is I am never right, nor am I left. I simply mosey down the center and slide whichever way best suits," she said with a smile. He thought her smile was sweet, it warmed her whole face, brightening the area around her just enough things didn't seem quite so miserable. He treasured that about her. He smiled a little more widely at her, showing teeth. It was more grimace than smile, but he was out of practice.

"You're ridiculous. You know that?" The man teased her as he always did. It was something he enjoyed doing and she didn't mind. 

"Probably with how often you tell me," she said, laughter hidden in her voice. 

A flash of lightning made its way across the night sky in the distance, followed by a clap of thunder. She smirked at the companion sitting with her on the porch, saying nothing. 

"I guess today you slid to the right. What are you feeding me? I'm not leaving with a storm coming," he rasped out. He had refused to drive in them for years. She didn't know he had lost his first family to a storm like this, and he hated to talk about it. Thankfully she never pressured him about his past. 

"I think I have something we can both live with," she smiled at him as she stood up. She held her hand out to him as if to pull him to his feet. 

He took her hand and thought, maybe, just maybe, my life doesn't have to be so dour. Maybe it will be okay to smile again. He followed her inside and prepared to devour whatever she might cook for him. He needed the company, and she could predict oncoming storms by the scent in the air. 

Maybe if he asked her not to, she would never drive in storms. 


	2. Bored Games

It was the second day of vacation, and it was raining, just like it had been when they had arrived. It was grey and bland and colder than it should have been. The waves crashed onto the shore, furious and intermittent. The sound of the water could be heard inside their beach cottage, which was thankfully not on the beach, but instead above it on a cliffside. The waves slapped the rocks with determination to see them crumble.

All they had wanted was a decent vacation, somewhere warm, and out of the prying eyes of the public. Someplace Muggle. Somewhere no one would know their names and they could be themselves. Since the end of the war, they had received a lot of backlash for being together. Regardless of the mob mentality rocking Wizarding Britain, they were happy, and they knew the truth of the rumors spouted about them. 

Draco had helped to save their world, their magic. He hadn’t been entirely blameless, and he knew that, but he had paid for his crimes in blood and fear. He paid for them every night in his dreams, while he relived the worst moments of his life. Of course, he was aware he had made bad decisions, stupid choices in the beginning, but he had never known another way to be. If his beloved wife hadn’t come along, he would probably be dead now. Actually no, he would definitely be dead. 

Hermione had managed to save him, somehow, when he had been unable to save himself. She had pulled him from the trenches of Death Eaters and healed him. She had been there when he was at his lowest and didn’t know how to change anything for the better. The witch had saved his life, and probably his soul. Meanwhile, the war was still going on and she was still fighting to save everyone. It was what she did. She wanted to save anyone who wanted to be saved, and so she did. Voldemort, of course, was not likely to make it onto her list of saved lambs, but she had even given him a choice to repent, to make himself whole, to feel the remorse for the lives he had taken, and to become better. He did refuse, and he died in the end. 

The last couple of years Draco had been slipping Hermione as much information as he could, to help fight the end of Wizarding society as they knew it. Voldemort would kill anyone who opposed him, as Draco was made well aware of. When he had failed to kill Dumbledore, the evil bastard had killed his mother. Hermione had found him curled into a heap on the floor of the girl’s bathroom in sixth year, and she had started to save him. She didn’t seem to be able to stop saving him. 

After the war, they had become a couple. Of course, the media backlash was intense, and her friends weren’t understanding until they realized the actual scope of information Draco had been passing to her. They had backed off after that, but the gossip articles had not. That’s why Draco had brought her here; she deserved some peace and quiet. She deserved some joy. They both deserved to walk hand in hand in public if they wanted to do so. They were married, for Salazar’s sake! 

It was just their luck the vacation that was supposed to be sunny, warm, and happy was being literally rained upon by the sky above and showed no sign of relenting. 

“Oh! Hey, Draco come here! Look what I found!” Hermione called out from the living room. 

“What is it, love?” 

“I found some Muggle board games. Do you want to play before dinner?” 

“Sure. It would pass the time. You’ll have to explain them to me, though. I’ve never played any of them before.” 

“That’s alright. How about we play checkers? It’s really easy to learn.” 

“Works for me.” 

Hermione smiled at him so brightly he thought maybe the storm didn’t matter. It would pass in time, and they were going to be here for quite a while. He would do much to see her smile like that. He followed his witch to the coffee table, and they made little seats with the pillows from the couches for comfort. 

Showing him how to set up the pieces, she also explained the rules. They were really simple, but he could see how it could get competitive. She leaned over and kissed him quickly. “What was that for?” 

“Just in case you get mad at me for having beaten you,” Hermione smirked. 

“You wish, witch. Let’s see who comes out as the victor!” 

She rolled her eyes at him, and they started to play. She was still smiling at him, a smile that he didn’t get to see much anymore because she was so tired. He knew she was tired of the rumors, the whispers, the fighting. All she did was fight, and it was high time she was able to relax and enjoy things. He would do that for her, no matter what it took. He would make sure Hermione Malfoy created more good memories than bad now she was in his life permanently. Her happiness had become his main concern, and she deserved all of it. He didn’t care if she wanted to spend all her life doing research in a remote cabin, he would happily join her. 

Since he had been aiding the side of the Light, he had retained all the Malfoy properties and rights as the Head of Household. His father had been sent to Azkaban and kissed, so he didn’t have to worry about his father’s influence in his life anymore. No, the only thing he needed to worry about was his witch. His witch who was indeed wiping the board with him. 


End file.
